Unsuspected chivalry
by guren666
Summary: Hana has been thinking about him, no matter how she wanted to deny the fact she had feelings for Shane. He probably hated her. After the incident with crumpets, he didn't look at her, speak with her nor anyone else. What was she supposed to do...?


Her hair.

Why was it such an issue everywhere she went? Hana diligently took notes during Miss Shizuka's classes, but today… her mind was elsewhere.

Her gaze flickered from the blackboard, Miss Shizuka, to the Normal Boots. PBJ was like a brother to her. Jon was… eccentric, but he wasn't a bad guy. And her eyes fell upon him. So enigmatic, a man of few words and openly suspicious of her. Surely, she did nothing to gain his mistrust, but that's how Shane was.

Nothing she could do about it, right? She tried being nice, doing things for him. Not because she wanted to be in the Normal Boots Club so _badly_ , it was because Hana wanted to be genuinely friends with them. All of them.

That's when things took a strange turn of events. Somewhere in the middle of doing a British flag with Jon, posing for his drawings, frying the stupid spicy fish and the disaster with crumpets…

 _I fell in love with Shane._

The only one from the Normal Boots guys who had trust issues because of "girl problems in the past" and how was she to ever know more if he avoided her like plague? Shane was ignoring her since the crumpet incident. In fact, he wasn't talking much lately with anyone for two weeks.

If it weren't for Caddy who told her yesterday, she would have never known. He also strongly recommended that she let the apology scenario out of mind. If Shane had real beef with her, he would have confronted her about it.

Very reluctantly, Hana agreed to let the unfortunate incident slide. She didn't know much about Shane, she barely knew much about other kids at Asagao.

Getting closer than they were would also mean that they'd be curious why she came here in the first place. And that… she didn't feel comfortable telling about **it**. Even Mai didn't know the exact reason… maybe someday…

But, if Shane asked would it be different? If he asked why Hana came to Asagao…

 _Would I be able to tell him?_

A very loud sigh echoed in the classroom.

Moment too late, Hana realized it came from her mouth.

Oh no. The wrath of Miss Shizuka was pointed at her. "Hana, is my class really so boring?"

Embarrassed, she stood up and bowed. "I'm sorry! It won't happen again, Miss Shizuka."

She frowned and turned back to the blackboard.

Hana sat down, feeling the gazes of classmates on her from all sides. One particular gaze from the left made her look down at her notes.

 _Don't blush! He's just looking, like all others…_

But then, she raised her head up and saw that all others were back to taking notes… all but Shane. When their gazes met, he averted his gaze, looking out the window.

Hana's face was matching with Shane's reddened ears.

 _Why is he blushing? Wait. Why am I blushing?_

She shook head. This isn't the time for pondering about what ifs. Her scholarship is important. She settled more comfortably into the chair, taking a hold of her pen and she listened to the ATB system charge and the difference between Real Time Battle and Turn Based Battle.

Finally, the bell rang. Miss Shizuka left, wearing a very distasteful grimace as she opened her phone screen.

It was lunch time, but strangely enough, Hana wasn't hungry. But, she should have known Mai by now. The redhead turned on the chair to face Hana, smirking. "Hana, come on! I'm hungry. Let's go while we still can get the good stuff!"

Mai left no room for discussion, grabbing onto Hana's hand and dragging her along towards the exit. She took one last glance behind her shoulder. Shane was talking with PBJ and Jon.

She also wanted to talk with him. Over many things.

Mai and Hana walked the crowded halls, as everyone was going towards the cafeteria. A bit dejected, Hana found herself standing behind Mai, who put a tray in her hands.

Thinking about Shane was all she did lately and it was frustrating, because he obviously didn't like her. But then, why did he blush? Was it because she caught him staring or…?

" –na, it's your turn." Mai's voice reached her and she went for the same food Mai had. Surprised, her friend raised eyebrow at her. Hana looked down at her tray, closely inspecting what she took. She groaned. Yes, she had the same main dish, same soup…

But…

Hana took something that closely resembled crumpets. Fucking crumpets. She had a mind to return them, but the line behind her grew more demanding (so that she would just hurry it up), so Hana left, albeit with mixed feelings. She almost killed Shane that day two weeks ago. The Itty Bitty figurine wound up being baked inside by mistake, but still… she should have been more careful.

Mai went for the Normal Boots Club table, where Paul, Josh, Nick, Jared and Satch were eating and discussing something. When they came close in earshot, Hana heard bits about the campaign.

She stopped, looking at her tray. Mai, who was walking beside her also stopped. "Hana?"

"I… don't think I should sit down there with this."

Mai rolled eyes. "As if they care about it! It was an accident. It's water under the bridge. Come on." She urged her to walk and Hana sighed again.

Others will soon join them. He will, too. She braced herself for the worst. The incessant small talk that would follow as soon as they sat down.

Hopefully, the conversation won't take a 360° degrees turn.

They were greeted casually, like always. Jared with his flowery talk, Satch with his warm smile and the trio with matching grins. So far, so good. Hana ate in silence. A good while later Mai got her courage up and asked Jared out on a date.

All conversations halted, the table went silent. Hana didn't want to hear how her best friend could be possibly turned down, so she bit off more than normally. She swallowed down, but it got stuck in her throat.

A quick look at the first thing she grabbed made her almost let out a hysterical laugh, if she could.

A crumpet.

Her choking sounds snapped the Normal Boots and Mai to look at her. She downed down the cup of tea, her now sore throat hurt.

Mai rubbed her back, gently. "Hana! Are you okay?!"

She nodded curtly. Her friend's face drooped as she was suddenly hugged. "Aaaah, don't do that to me, Hana!"

Smiling wryly, Hana patted her back and they separated.

"Are you sure? You can have my tea if you want, I didn't drink yet…" Jared offered. Hana politely declined. "No, it's okay. I'm fine, Jared."

"Really? But, you look a bit pale…" Satch's worried face zoomed in into her, leaning from the table to get a closer look at her.

She forced another small smile. She wished they would stop before -

Nick waved towards someone behind - "Hey, guys! Hana almost choked!"

A groan escaped her lips. You've got to be kidding me…

She turned a bit on her seat and if she was pale according to Satch, she went bright red in an instant.

 _S –Shane!_

Not wanting to see him right now, she abruptly rose on her feet, grabbed the empty tray (safe for the crumpets) and she set a fast walking tempo, dumping the crumpets and set the tray on the pile with others.

Then, she bolted. She heard Mai and the Normal Boots guys' voices… but not Shane's.

Blindly running, she ran from cafeteria, going towards the bathroom to calm down and assess rationally the -

She collided with someone. Who was carrying a bucket brimming with water. It all splashed on them, but majority landed on her. Her hair. And face.

He vision was blurry thanks to the water dripping down on her glasses. She should apologize. Hana hardly got up on her feet, noting that the person with whom she collided was already standing up, no looming over her. It was a boy, even taller than PBJ. "Look what you did! Are you stupid or what?"

Hana shook with fear. No, no… not this again…

In the meantime, Normal Boots with Mai in front arrived in the hallway where the calm, peaceful atmosphere dropped. Mai was dumbfounded with what she saw. Her best friend was cornered by angry guy, a jock more likely. It looked like a showdown between a chihuahua and lion.

Then, she gritted teeth in sudden rise of anger. She made two steps towards them. Among others. Jared, PBJ and Paul also moved, but Shane was faster, undressing his jacket.

Mai's eyes were glued on him as he approached Hana and put it around her shoulders.

In her shocked state, she glanced worriedly over shoulder, hoping it wasn't this person's friend or something, but wait… she blinked. Even with the blurry vision, she recognized him.

 _Shane! He's… here?_

Another surprise was coming Hana's way. Shane stood in front of her and all she could see now was Shane's white back. White…? She palpated something on her shoulders and the green fabric stood out on her uniform. Shane's Normal Boots jacket… Hana cleaned her glasses as best as she could, wiping them dry in her skirt and set them up again.

And she gasped.

The entirety of Normal Boots stood beside her. Why…?

"Hey, big guy. If you've a problem with my best friend, then you've got a problem with me!" Hana's gaze flicked to Mai, who was rolling up sleeves.

And it didn't stop by Mai. "What kind of loser picks on a girl?" Paul snickered, while Nick and Josh giggled. PBJ wasn't in a merry mood. "How dare you bother Hana."

"Yeah, girls should be doted on. I know." Jared added.

Satch shook head, but didn't speak. Neither did other members of Normal Boots, while the guy was beginning to sweat.

"She ran into me. It's her fault, not mine!" He pointed at the distraught, soaked Hana. She opened her mouth to retort that she wanted to apologize -

Shane grabbed the guy's shirt and yanked him down. "Hana, tell me what happened."

Hana swallowed down her alertness. It's going to be alright after this. "It's true. I ran into him and I wanted to apologize, but he… flipped out on me and then you all came… so I'm sorry. Can we just… forget this?"

Shane let go and the guy scoffed, giving Hana one last look that reminded her of… the everyday humiliation at…

 _It's okay. It won't happen at Asagao. Everything will be just fine, Hana!_

"Please tell Miss Shizuka we'll miss the next lesson." He said, enclosing his hand over Hana's, who couldn't comprehend what was happening anymore.

They walked quite a bit, when Mai shouted: "IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!"

Hana visibly went red in the face, looking at her feet, so that she won't trip. Shane's grip was loose… she risked a glance, but couldn't tell anything from that angle.

Shane led them outside of the building. Hana presumed they were going to Primrose House, but she guessed wrongly.

He was leading towards the Bluebell House. The boys' dorm…

She wriggled her hand out of his grip and he turned around. "What is it, Hana?" He asked like it was a normal thing to do – taking a girl he allegedly hated/ignored to his dorm room. Then, why did he help… Instead, she said:

"I can go to Primrose by myself… I don't want you to miss class."

"I want to talk with you, also Bluebell is closer and your hair is so wet, you have to dry it or you'll catch a cold."

Seeing that Hana was wavering, it finally clicked in his mind. " _Oh._ I'm not going to do anything improper, Hana." The lump in her throat didn't go away after his statement. If he hoped it would ease her mind, it had the opposite effect.

"Hana, please just come. I swear I won't do anything."

Seeing Shane's clenched jaw and the sincerity in his eyes, she nodded. He smiled briefly, getting a hold of her hand again, this time more tighter.

It was just like at the Flower Festival and at the same time, it wasn't. Something had changed, but she couldn't pin it down yet.

They were in luck; no one was at the front door and the hallways were equally vacant. No wonder. It was going to be class time soon. Or maybe it's class time already. There was no telling, since the bell's reach didn't expand to the dorms.

"My room – and Jirard's is at the third floor."

Hana giggled. "I know, I've been there once. Remember the flag? Also, mine and Mai's room is on the third floor, too. I'm used to climbing stairs by now."

He didn't answer, but his lips curled up in a smile. He really should smile more often. "I love it when you smile." She blurted out, seeing how Shane's face changed shades of red in a matter of seconds. "I love your smile, too." He retorted without thinking.

 _Didn't this situation happen earlier? I'm so embarrassed…_

"T- thank you."

"We should go… right?"

She nervously conjured a smile. "Yes, let's…"

They climbed the stairs, each engrossed in their thoughts. Hana could feel her heart rate picking up with each stair she took.

Hana observed him closely, because he was so stiff. Too stiff.

 _Is he nervous, too? My heartbeat is going crazy, just being this close to him._

Instead, she focused on the stairs.

Finally, they reached the third floor. Overall, Bluebell looked like a copy of Primrose, only that the walls were blue. "We're almost here. Come…"

Hana strut close to him, feeling the famous butterflies in her stomach, fluttering.

All of a sudden, he stopped and she bumped into him. "Oh, are you okay?"

"Yeah."

He fished out his key, put in inside the keyhole and turned it. He pressed the doorknob and opened the door wide. Shane struck a gallant pose. "Ladies first, Hana."

So she went inside first, taking in the variety. Shane's side screamed artistic and Jirard's… collection style? Some Itty Bitty figurines were at Shane's side, too. Maybe he didn't mind.

The door closed shut. She just gaped at the room, while Shane went to his wardrobe and pulled out a towel.

He approached her and she was about to grab it -

Shane smirked and put the towel over Hana's head, drying her hair.

A blush (which he thankfully couldn't see) crept on her face. She gripped at the fluffy fabric. "Shane, I can do it alone." She exclaimed, trying to maintain normality in her voice.

"Shh. Just let me, Hana. Do you trust me?"

 _Trust Shane? What's this got to do with drying hair?_

"Shane…"

His hands were gentle, no strong movements or tugging. Was she imagining this? Was she still in class, daydreaming? The real Shane couldn't have saved her from that boy, he wouldn't do anything they were doing…

After a pregnant while, when none spoke, Hana had convinced herself this must be a dream, so she can confess without fear of rejection.

If she can't feel the love of the real Shane, at least she'll get the dream Shane's love. She touched his hands and he stopped his gentle movements, wet towel was tossed aside.

Shane raised a brow at her antics, looking at her, thoroughly intrigued. Hana dreamily looked at him, cupping his face (she had to tiptoe a bit to reach his face) and Shane flinched at the touch, but didn't stop her.

"Hana, what are y—"

She silenced him with her lips. Her kiss harbored all the unspoken feelings. Shane's eyes told her that he totally didn't see this coming. She was about to pull back and run away… when his hands suddenly were on her sides and the smallest gaps between them were nonexistent. And what's more, he deepened the kiss and her legs almost gave out on her.

She was appalled. No way. This is real? He's… Hana's hands weakly dropped, feeling light – headed and most of all, Shane's warm body was pressed against her.

Hana was blushing madly by now, she knew it. How could she not? This was her first real kiss and it was with Shane, the boy she's been in love with.

Then, he pulled away. Out of breath and grinning, his blush could rival hers. "I…. I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't…"

Hana shook head, pressing her thumb on his lips. "I'm still shaken up over everything, but also happy. I was halfway convinced this is a dream, all of this. That is why I worked up my courage and k-kissed you. I thought I'd wake up from daydream… but here we are and this is real… please tell me I'm awake, Shane."

Instead of answering, he embraced her. She hesitantly put her head on his shoulder (she was shorter after all), inhaling deeply. He was wearing a cologne.

Shane laughed, his sultry voice reverberated in her ears. "This is real. You're here, with me. I've never been so nervous in my life as I'm now. But also incredibly glad."

 _He's nervous… then it must mean… I have to ask._

She peeked up at him. "So what do I mean to you…?"

His vibrant smile placated her worries. "Hana, you're the best that could have happened to me. But, I feel like I should tell you something. The reason I came to Asagao in the first place."

He was going to tell her?

"But, I thought you were ignoring me because you knew of my feelings, you also targeted me because of my hair color. Not that you do now, but you did earlier in this year."

Shane wore a very apologetic look. "I wasn't avoiding you, I was… trying to figure out what I felt towards you and what it would mean for us. In truth, I was going to talk with you sooner, but it's hard for me to express my feelings. I'm sure you've noticed that by now." He sheepishly said, which made Hana giggle.

"I can see that now."

"So… back to the reason. The comic I've been doing in the past… Emma was based on my ex – girlfriend Emily."

Hana didn't want to look so japed, but she didn't see this coming. But, his trust issues have to stem from somewhere…

"Emily was very different from me. I still can't understand how we got together in the first place. She was rich, popular and had many friends. I, on the other hand was the quiet guy. She was involved in spy missions for government. I got captured more times I care to admit, but she always saved in the end. But, then… one day I told her it's for the best if we split up. She was… dangerous. The opposite of you, Hana. She also had pink hair."

 _Now it finally made sense. He was reminded of Emily when he saw me. He made the assumption I'm like her, dangerous to be around and didn't want me near the Normal Boots guys._

"But… your opinion of me has changed since then, right?" He nodded, going for his desk and opened drawer on the table, rummaging through many papers. Hana curiously watched him.

Shane found what he was looking for, in his hands were multiple colored papers. "Hana, come sit down." He said, sitting down on his bed and she suppressed her indecent thoughts. She was just going to sit down, next to him.

 _Calm down. Shane isn't that type of man._

Somewhat more calmer, Hana strut towards him and sat next to him, making sure her skirt wasn't crumpled. Only then she looked over at Shane, who bore a very embarrassed expression.

He practically showed the stock of papers in Hana's hands. She accepted them, scanning the first page. The title was… The best flower in the garden... a girl with pink hair that resembled her and a boy in plain clothing that resembled Shane were exploring together.

Hana read their dialogues, as she turned the pages. A smile was plastered on her face that grew wider and wider. The boy and girl became close at the end, where the boy gave the girl – Emma a flower and kissed her.

She looked up at him. "It was beautiful."

Shane took back the comic and put it on the desk, locking gaze with her as he took her hands and squeezed them. "The past two weeks I've been working on this comic. I wanted to give this to you, but you ran away during lunch and… here we are. I love you. I've invited you to the Flower Festival because I wanted us to be closer, but I was... uncertain if you felt the same. As days rolled on, you did so much for me. The flag." He pointed at the wall, where it hung. Hana only now registered it.

He really did hung it up.

"The fish and the crumpets."

Hana shifted. Of course they would resurface in their talk. It was the turning point, now that she thought about it.

"Now before you start, I know it wasn't on purpose. Some of the guys came to talk with me. What surprised me the most was that Caddy came yesterday and he told me that you still feel bad about that incident. That was about the same I finished on the comic. I've been looking for an excuse to talk with you alone and present it to you and tell you how I feel about you, Hana. I've been thinking about you and I can't, no – I don't want us to be friends. I… will you… y- you… be my girlfriend?"

Out of sheer joy, she kissed his cheek and he blinked, his lips quivering slightly, waiting for her response.

Hana smiled, happier than ever. "Yes. Yes! I love you, too. But you already knew that fact, right?" He shortly nodded.

Shane let out a sigh of relief and embraced her one more time, their positioning on the bed made it a bit harder, so after a while, when their relief washed away, they parted. Shane kissed her hand, which made her burn up again.

His fingers stroked her face, affectionately. "I'm so happy you came to Asagao, Hana."

She was glad to be here, too. She found friends – Mai, The Normal Boots and Shane.

Speaking of, she should come out clean with her past as well. He must wonder what forced her to come here. He deserved to know of her past. Since he's her boyfriend.

 _He'll understand._

"Shane, I must tell you something regarding my transfer."

"You don't have to, Hana."

She shook head. No. It's time she stopped living in the past, where she was alone. She's no longer alone.

"No, I've changed. My friends – Mai and Normal Boots have shown me what true friendship is like and you've given me something I've longed for since the beginning of this school year – your love. I'm ready to tell you, so… just listen."

"Alright, Hana. I won't lie; I'm mighty curious what happened."

"I've been bullied for most of my life for my hair."

Shane's expression changed. "On second thought, we don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

"I should have told you this sooner, the maybe…"

Hana stopped, but Shane made a face. She bit her lip. "Maybe you would've stopped targeting me because of my hair. N – not that you still do! We've been over this topic, so I'll stop here."

Shane lowered his head, both in acknowledgement and apology. Again.

"Okay, now I'm more curious."

"It was one of the biggest reasons I've decided to move here. I invited my best friend over to a sleepover. Most of my former friend group abandoned me, but she was still there for me. I didn't want to hold a sleepover, but my father insisted. She came and it was just like during the good old times, when we had fun and I was naively thinking that things would get better."

Shane didn't interrupt and Hana was thankful for it. She needed to get this off her chest. "That night, I fell asleep first. The sound of snipping scissors woke me up. Michelle was holding pink locks of hair and laughing. My hair… she cut it all off."

"Hana, that's horrible!"

She snickered, but it sounded too bittersweet. "My dad sent her away and that was the last time I saw her or anyone from my old school. I didn't want to go there anymore. I was framed for being a… home wrecker because of some boy who liked me, but was going out with one of my friends. The accusations got more fierce, bullying intensified and none of my classmates wanted to hear my side of story. They ostracized me, I was left alone."

By now, Shane gritted teeth.

"After the hair incident, I didn't go back. My dad decided to send me away, as far as possible to start anew, to Asagao."

After the last sentence, she felt like something fell off her chest. The burden of her past, it was gone.

Shane leaned closer, bringing their heads together. "It all worked out in the end, Hana."

It was odd talking about it so openly, but Shane opened up to her about his ex – girlfriend, which wasn't easy for him. They both had quite the baggage, but the events that led them to this point are where they belong – in the past.

"You're right." She said while she felt Shane's hands around her waist, pulling her in. For a kiss. Hana happily obliged, leaning closer, closer -

The door creaked and opened. Flustered upon the intrusion, they lost balance as each wanted to pull away, with hands still around each other.

… They collapsed on the bed, Hana's legs were hanging off the edge of bed, with Shane atop her… her….

She blushed crimson.

" **SHANE!** "

In that moment, Jirard and Mai burst inside. Jirard covered his eyes, mumbling that's he's sorry for interrupting while Mai whistled, a maniacal grin settled on her face. "I knew it! You're so _smooth_ , Shane."

Flabbergasted, Hana let go and Shane disentangled himself, sitting up. He offered a helping hand to her and she accepted, now more flustered than ever.

"Is it safe?" Jirard mumbled and Mai laughed, holding her sides upon seeing their faces. Jirard uncovered his eyes and glanced at the duo on the bed.

"We caught you _red – handed_ , hmm?" Mai put emphasis on the red – handed part, which made Hana and Shane look at themselves, then they let out hearty laughter.

"Just so you know, I support you. And I'm happy, extremely happy for you both." Jirard announced, then he cleared his throat. "So… I'll knock the next time around."

Faced with Jirard's statement, they managed to stay poker –faced. But then, Mai hit the nail in the coffin. "You really don't waste time, Shane."

Said boy snorted and Hana rolled eyes, standing up. "I – we weren't doing anything like that. We just had a long talk and we –" Shane interrupted her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're officially a couple, so something like this will happen eventually."

Hana jabbed him in the ribs. "Shane!"

He shrugged suggestively, winking at her. "I'm just saying."

" _SHANE!"_

Shane giggled to himself and kissed the top of her hair. Mai let out "aaaw" and Jirard coughed. "Ehm… we came for a reason. Right, Mai?"

The redhead approached her friend. "Miss Shizuka was looking for you two lovebirds. She's waiting for you in the faculty room, probably about today's assignment."

Both groaned. Class. They skipped. Miss Shizuka will roast them. Shane stood up, ruffling his hair. "We'd better go…"

Angering someone like Miss Shizuka was a bad idea, since she was probably dumped again and she's been in foul mood. They went for the door, followed by Mai. Jirard stayed in the room, because all classes were over.

Mai, to their astonishment knocked on a door and Shane inspected the number. "This is Satch's and Jared's room." He calmly announced while Mai nodded. "Well, it turns out I've scored, too Hana."

 _Wow! She really did it!_

Shane didn't want to pry, neither did Hana – so they left as fast they could. Hana gave her thumbs up before they disappeared around the corner and down the stairs.

Who would have thought Mai's love would reach Jared? But then, she should have known better.

She glanced at Shane by her side.

Her feelings reached him finally.

Their hands joined, descending downstairs.

Everything will be alright from now on.

She had Shane.

~ THE END ~


End file.
